Learn dime, cállate, vamos, mira, espera and you'll start catching the orders in any Spanish crime show.
| Verb | Meaning | You’ll Hear |
|---|---|---|
| ir / irse | to go / to go away | vamos, vete |
| venir | to come | ven, viene |
| decir | to say/tell | dime, dice |
| mirar | to look | mira |
| esperar | to wait | espera |
| callarse | to shut up | cállate |
| correr | to run | corre |
| salir | to leave | sal, sale |
| buscar | to look for | busca |
| dejar | to let/leave | deja |
| saber | to know | no sé, sabe |
| tener | to have | ten, tiene |
| hacer | to do/make | haz, hace |
| querer | to want | quiere |
| dar | to give | dame, da |
| oír | to hear | oye |
| traer | to bring | trae |
| poner | to put | pon |
| entrar | to enter | entra |
| poder | to be able to | puede |
The “You’ll Hear” column is mostly the tú command. Vamos means “let’s go.” No sé means “I don’t know.” Viene, dice, sale, tiene, and hace are the he/she or usted present, not that command. Sabe, quiere, and puede are the same present. Da is both. Irregular commands do not copy the present: ven not viene, sal not sale, ten not tiene, haz not hace, pon not pone. Dime and dame add me; vete and cállate add te. Oye usually means “hey.” With usted, ven, sal, and dime become venga, salga, and dígame.
Example Lines
- ¡Cállate y escucha! (Shut up and listen!)
- Ven aquí, tenemos que hablar. (Come here, we need to talk.)
- Dime la verdad. (Tell me the truth.)
- Sal de aquí. (Get out of here.)
- Dame el dinero. (Give me the money.)
- Busca al tipo y tráelo. (Look for the guy and bring him.)
Regional note: La Casa de Papel uses Spain Spanish (vosotros, vale, tío). Narcos is set in Colombia and mostly uses Colombian Spanish, mixed with a lot of English. In parts of Colombia, usted is often used even between friends and family.
From Watching to Speaking
Recognizing ven and vamos on screen is the start. Producing ir and venir commands yourself takes output practice. VerbPal drills build that retrieval muscle.
Try it now:
- Cover the “You’ll Hear” column.
- Say each form out loud.
- Drill any verb you miss.
Frequently asked questions
Is Narcos in Colombian or Spain Spanish?
Narcos is set in Colombia and mostly uses Colombian Spanish, mixed with a lot of English. In parts of Colombia, usted is often used even between friends and family. La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) is from Spain — expect vosotros and vale.
Can I learn Spanish just by watching shows?
Watching builds comprehension but not speaking. You need output drills to convert recognition into production.